Princeton abstinence group first of its kind in Ivy League

The society says those who want to wait should know they're not alone

REBECCA SANTANA, Associated Press

Published
5:30 am CDT, Sunday, October 16, 2005

PRINCETON, N.J. - The students who started one of Princeton University's newest clubs remember the awkward moment when they realized they were in the minority: while watching a play called Sex on a Saturday Night.

The play is put on for incoming freshmen to inform them about sexual health and safety.

"I remember sitting there and feeling really uncomfortable because every single character had either engaged in premarital sex or was talking about having engaged in premarital sex," said Christian Sahner, 20, a junior from Maplewood, N.J.

So about a year ago, the students formed a group promoting chastity. Though similar groups exist at other universities, it is a first for the Ivy League. The groups first sprung up in the South, but the idea is catching on nationwide, said Jimmy Hester from True Love Waits, a Nashville, Tenn.-based group that promotes abstinence.

"In the early days I would have said it was a Southern, Southeast movement; that's where it caught on the quickest," Hester said. "Now we hear from folks in Washington, Oregon, all over the place."

The Princeton group is named after Elizabeth Anscombe, an English philosopher and staunch Roman Catholic who defended the church's teachings on sex and died in 2001.

People who want to take part in the society's activities don't have to sign a pledge or take an oath.

Some members may have had sex in the past, and leaders say the group is open to everyone, even those who may just be interested in exploring the idea of chastity intellectually.

One of the main reasons the group was created was to let students who don't want to have premarital sex know they're not alone, organizers said. They knew beforehand that sex would be part of college life, but many were surprised at how prevalent it is.

"It was really distressing to me to see my peers going out, getting drunk and having random sex," said Clare Sully, 20, a senior originally from Princeton. "I hadn't yet come to the conclusion that sex was only for marriage ... (but) I was quite certain that sex was way too important to treat so casually."

The Princeton group brings in speakers who talk about issues related to sex and chastity. A recent talk titled "Real Sex: The Truth About Chastity" drew about 120 people.

The group is not affiliated with a particular religion or political ideology. Most of the group's organizers are Catholic, and almost all vote Republican because many in the party oppose abortion. But others affiliated with the group are longtime Democrats, and a few are Jewish and from other religious denominations.

Members emphasize that they're not anti-sex. They fully intend to have sex but only with the right person and after they are married. And for the record, they date, and some even have boyfriends and girlfriends.

"It's not like we don't dance or have fun," said Caroline Chopko, 20, a junior from Kennett Square, Pa.